The Life and Personal Practice of an LDS Yogi

Guru Purnima 2018

Today is Guru Purnima. It’s a day to celebrate one’s external guru and the Sadhguru, the True Guru, that we each are. Here’s a brief write up about this event.

Guru Purnima is an Indian & Nepalese spiritual tradition dedicated to spiritual and academic teachers, who are evolved or enlightened humans, ready to share their wisdom, with very little or no monetary expectation, based on Karma Yoga. It is celebrated as a festival in Nepal by the Nepalese Hindus and Buddhists. This festival is traditionally observed by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains to revere their chosen spiritual teachers/leaders and express their gratitude. The festival is celebrated on the full moon day (Purnima) in the Hindu month of Ashadha (June–July) as it is known in the Hindu calendar of India and Nepal. This day marks the first peak of the lunar cycle after the peak of the solar cycle.

The celebration is marked by spiritual activities and may include a ritualistic event in honor of the Guru, Guru Puja.

The Guru Principle is said to be a thousand times more active on the day of Guru purnima than on any other day.

The word Guru is derived from two words, gu and ru. The Sanskrit root gu means darkness or ignorance, and ru denotes the remover of that darkness. Therefore, a Guru is one who removes the darkness of our ignorance.

Gurus are believed by many to be the most necessary part of life. On this day, disciples offer puja or pay respect to their Guru (spiritual guide). In addition to having religious importance, this festival has great importance for Indian academics and scholars. Indian academics celebrate this day by thanking their teachers as well as remembering past teachers and scholars.

So, how does this day show up for me, a Mormon yogi? In a way, it’s not much different from every other day. Every day I offer thanks to my teachers and gurus: God, Christ, Dadaji, Bapuji, Gurudev, Kamini and Chandrakant; so, in that way, today is no different. The only real difference is that today, I will make posts like this one.

I hope you enjoy this gallery of images that remind me of all my gurus.